taxi

There are two taxi companies in Florence: 4390 and 4242. Taxis can be expensive; however, they are a safe way to get home if you find yourself without private transportation after bus operation hours.

1. You can't hail a cab in Florence. You must either walk to a taxi stand (look for the orange sign reading “TAXI” in black letters), or call 055 4390 or 055 4242. Taxi stands can be found by the Santa Maria Novella Train Station, in Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza San Marco, Piazza Santa Croce and in a few other heavily trafficked areas of the city.

2. If you decide to call for a taxi, give the operator your address, and wait for him/her to give you the name of the taxi that will be picking you up (i.e. “Parigi 23”, which will appear on a sticker on the door of your cab). The operator will then tell you how long you will have to wait for the taxi to arrive.

3. Don’t be surprised if your driver charges you special fees. Taxi companies can tack on extra costs if you have luggage, if there are more than three people in your party, if it is nighttime or a holiday, if your destination is outside the city limits, or if you called for the cab.

4. After 9:00 PM, women traveling alone get a 10% discount on taxi fare. Ask your taxi driver about this when applicable.

5. There is a flat rate of 20 euro from Villa Natalia or the historic city center to the Florence airport, plus one euro per piece of luggage. To reserve a taxi in advance, call one of the taxi companies (055 4390 or 055 4242) the day before you need the service, or ask the OSL to help you reserve a taxi.

6. If you call for a taxi and are told that there are none available, try finding a hotel and asking the concierge to call a cab for you. If there are no hotels nearby, move to a residential street number and call again giving that address. Sometimes taxi drivers are reluctant to pick up passengers at bars and clubs.

7. Try to pay attention to which taxi company you use and the name of the taxi that picks you up (for example, company: 4242, taxi name: Monaco 20). This way, if you forget something in the cab or an incident occurs that requires follow-up, you can more easily locate the taxi driver who accompanied you.